After
nearly a year in Second Life, I am a changed person. Ever since I rezzed on March the 30th
last year, I've been on a voyage of self discovery and unadulterated pleasure,
as well as a smattering of misery thrown in for good measure. In the early days, I was lost. I had absolutely no idea of what to do, where
to go or even why I was here. I saw
Second Life as a huge 3D chat room where I could make friends and pass the
time. Gentle reader, I was wrong.

For
nearly 3 months, I became a 6 foot something smart-ass who frequented strip
joints and, basically, horizontal rumba-ed my way around the sims. It was easy enough to do and, initially, was
great fun. That changed when I met my first
serious VGF (Virtual Girl friend).
Initially we flirted and ended up have quick dangerous fun in our
workplace at the time. This developed
into a fuller relationship and we Skype'd and married in world. As the honeymoon period wore off, as in real
life, the arguments set in and life became slowly unbearable. Both of were too strong personality wise and
our relationship dissolved like an associate of “Big Tony” in an acid bath
situated in a warehouse just off Route 17 in...er...it collapsed quickly.

(For your information), I was nowhere near and
my phone records prove it!) We were on
and off more times than a dockside hooker’s panties when the fleet was in, but
we both knew the writing was on the wall.
I moved on and quickly went back to my old ways with a succession of
dancers and strippers. Outside of the
hedonistic lifestyle, I began to feel lonely again and started Dj-ing at small
clubs, glad of the attention and the circle of friends I was building up.

After
one more try with the VGF, I settled on a club and began a relationship with a
fellow DJ. This was briefly interrupted
by a rather sweet message from the ex VGF which read along the lines of

“He
always said he wasn’t a Dom(inant) and then he give you a cute little
title. I gave 6 months of my life for
some other bit*h to get his world. Screw
you!”

Thankfully,
everyone laughed it off and no more was said about it, until I shared it on
facebook and on my SL profile that is.

Fast
forward a week or two and I met a UK avatar called Milae. We became closer and eventually started
dating, swapping cell phone numbers and talking every day. 6 months later and
we're married with a Zooby Baby and a comfortable Second Life, have met a few
times in real-life and are moving in together later this year.

We've
tried to run an entertainment sim (which, even in Second Life terms, was a
catastrophic fail). I managed to get
myself banned from a gaming area for saying that the land agency affiliated
with it “was ok but there are cheaper and better agencies out there” (who knew
that a personal opinion would resonate so much with people?) and we currently
have a few other irons in the fire.

It
might not be a definitive recollection of my (nearly) 12 months in Second Life,
but it's mine. Hardly a barrel of laughs
from start to finish, but it's a journey none the less. Yes, there are a few elements I would change
and, yes, I was a total ass-cake back then (and, to a certain degree, still am)
but I play the game and got played. It's
taken up a lot of time this past year and I have been both cursed and saved by
Second Life, all it has to offer and the people therein.

What
could be next for me and my family? Who
really knows. Either way, I'll see you
down the road somewhere...